SRINAGAR: Reaffirming the need to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi argued that the current status of J&K as a Union Territory does not align with the principles of democracy.
“Either the BJP will reinstate statehood for J&K, or the INDIA alliance will do so as its first action after replacing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party,” Rahul Gandhi declared while addressing a rally in Dooru, Anantnag district while launching the Congress party’s election campaign.
Also present were National Conference (NC) leader Dr Farooq Abdullah, South Kashmir MP Mian Altaf, and other senior Congress figures.
Gandhi questioned how the BJP could claim to uphold democracy in J&K, which was downgraded from statehood to two Union Territories. “Democracy is about having an assembly where issues are debated and laws are created. Here, those rights have been stripped away,” he stated.
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Reflecting on India’s history, Gandhi pointed out that in 1947, the Maharajas were sidelined to establish democracy and elected governments. “In J&K, we have a Lieutenant Governor. I think the term LG is incorrect; it should be ‘Raja’ of the 21st Century, as he rules by his own will,” Gandhi remarked.
Gandhi also criticized the Modi-led BJP government, accusing it of favouring only two major business families—Ambanis and Adanis. “I was told I couldn’t mention Ambani and Adani in Parliament speeches. So, I asked the Speaker what I should call them—A1 and A2,” Gandhi humorously recounted.
He reiterated that wherever the BJP spreads hatred, Congress will counter it with love and unity. “We will win this battle by fostering brotherhood and harmony,” Gandhi asserted. He urged the public to support each other, encouraging Congress workers to back NC candidates and vice-versa, expressing confidence in an NC-Congress coalition forming the next government in J&K.
Gandhi accused the BJP of exploiting Kashmiri Pandits for electoral gain, offering them nothing in return. He also urged Dooru’s Congress candidate, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, to invite him for a longer stay in Anantnag, joking, “You’re inviting me for just 45 minutes; that’s not enough for me.”